Wilting Roses
by Emnesty
Summary: Enter the World of Alex. A young man, chasing after the one he loves. Turned down and injured in his time in the army, he contemplates on Life and his final thoughts about her.. Note: I am a new writer, be nice! Should I contiune the Military flashback?


**Wilting Roses**

Life is like a rose, beautiful and intricate. The petals that make up a rose swirl around the center and you get sucked into its beauty. But Life is fragile, a simple prod at Life's petal will cause it to wilt and die. I've been around Earth for 28 years now. I guess that's what they mean when they say you're never too young to die. Here I am, lying on my deathbed, waiting, for something. Something that had already consumed the rest of my family…Death. The doctors said that the immense pain would go away only once I was dead. I rolled my head to the right and glanced and stared at the vase of dethorned roses. I smiled as I looked at the card, written in beautiful writing was the words; "Sorry, I'm already with someone". It stung as I picked up a rose, although I wasn't to be with her, the thought of her being happy made me glad. I had lost to the better man, but she had always deserved someone better than me. I sighed and closed my eyes, the years winded themselves back as I was sucked into the spirals of the rose.

I had only just come out of college when I was asked to serve in the army. I wasn't too surprised, I had quite a background, I had learnt different martial arts and served in my country's national service. Part of me told me it was my duty to serve, the other told me otherwise. For you see, I had fallen in love with a young lady. She was smart, very capable and very humble. She was my age, 20, back then, she meant the world to me. All I ever wanted was to talk to her and get to know her better, I would have been overjoyed just to hear her voice. I remember the time I had tried to woo her, actually, I remembered all of them, but this one in particular…

_It was the final day in McGill, that called for a celebration, a Prom night. I tightened my tie, it was a pale gold and stood out from my black suit. It was an extremely formal occasion and I had to be careful. I had known her for nearly four years now, and had instantly fallen in love with her as soon as I saw her. After today, I would get no second chance to try and win her heart. With hope filled inside me, I grabbed a bouquet of roses and walked briskly to the Kingston Hotel where Prom night would be held. It'd took me only a few minutes to reach there, I pushed past the double doors of the Kingston Ballroom and went inside. The chandeliers gleamed like stars in the sky, peaceful and sweet music wove itself into the atmosphere. I inhaled and prepared myself for the inevitable events that were yet to come. Around me I saw many people with their partners, I couldn't help but wonder why I couldn't be like them. Why I couldn't find someone who was perfect for me. That's when she walked in, the girl of my dreams. She wore a rose-red dress that trailed behind her like her wonderfully scented perfume. The light beaming down from the chandeliers reflected off her dress, making her shine like a diamond in the day. The other males breathed a sigh regret, wondering how they missed the swan in the flock of crows. The females also breathed a sigh, but of envy rather than regret. That's why I liked her so much, she didn't need any make up or fancy dresses to make her beautiful. It had already come to her naturally, what was more important to me is that even though she knew she was pretty, she was humble about it. She didn't boast and she didn't act snobbish. Amazingly, like me, she came without a date to Prom. The hours flew by and I watched commune with her friends. She was stunning. Just simply…it would be pointless to describe her, anything would be an understatement. Before I realized it, the night was drawing to a close, and for me, so was my final chance. I heard her friends briefly mentioning that they'd go back to their boyfriends. She nodded and ushered them off. I walked over towards her and tried my luck._

"_Hey"  
"Oh, Hey Alex"  
"I really love your dress, it really suits you."  
She smiled  
"Thanks, How's your night so far?"  
"I guess you could say it's all right, my friends just went off with their partners"  
"Don't you have a date from Prom?"  
"No"  
"I'm quite surprised to hear that, Alex"  
"I should be saying to you, you know"_

__

There was an awkward silence between the one I cared about and me. It was either now or never, I had to take the risk.

"I've admired you since I've first met you"  
She raised an eyebrow  
"I mean, you're smart, beautiful, humble, I mean the list goes on and on. And even though it's a bit late now…Would…You…?" I pushed the bouquet in front of me.  
She looked shocked, and said  
"What did you say? Slow down"  
"I asked, If You…Would…Be My date from Prom and be my girlfriend"

_I heard a nervous giggle on her end and instantly knew the answer. She started to speak again.  
"Look, Alex, You're a nice guy and all but I never really found you that attractive and well…I'm sorry"  
With that she turned around and walked out of my life, or at least so I thought._

I couldn't get myself to smile from that day onwards. I just couldn't. It wasn't long after till I was forced to join the army. I was only 22 when served in the army. For 5½ years I lived in a world of pain and suffering, more than I could have ever imagined. I had fought so many wars, so many battles and lost so many men. But it seemed that pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain I endured. I was starting to lose my mental edge in the battlefield and needed time to recover. My last mission pulled me out of the army for good. It was one that was a true living nightmare...

_I glanced outside the AH-64 Apache. The shadows and darkness had cast themselves across the stars and moon. Nothing couldn't be cloaked by the darkness. I was designated a position in Task Force Sabotage. I was a member of one of the best military squads in the world, but that in itself was an understatement. When the job needed to be done well and fast, we would be sent in. There would be no aftermath if we were introduced. I looked at my squad members. Rukia, Demolitions expert, Vendetta, Infiltrations expert, and Khaotic, weapons expert. General Sykria wanted a simple infiltrations mission into the French nuclear electricity plant. France had been developing a new series of electromagnetic pulses, these were designed to kill all electronic devices…and their users and for some damn reason, beyond my comprehension, France had threatened us, the United States of America. I had fought and bled with the French, I should've known they'd hate us for it. We had 5 hours to do our job. More than enough time. "Sabotage, Hunter Two-One, We're beginning approach". There was a hissing sound and the side of the chopper had given way. I jumped out first and was met by a fist of air, the ground raced forward to meet up, I pulled a lever, and felt a sharp break in my fall. I landed feet first on solid ground, took off the parachute and readied my weapon. It was an ACR Grenadier with an ACOG TA3 RDS and integrated silencer. As soon as we were all ready, we started to move. It took us an hour to reach the facility on the outskirts of France. Vendetta strode forward, it was his specialty to infiltrate. He tapped his headset, and his tri-visors gave out a suttle hum. He turned around, "10 guards the next room, armed with REC7. Unsupressed." I nodded and Vendetta did his work. He shot the lights out in our room before opening the door, he had timed it perfectly so none of the guards would be near the door. There were 10 whistle and ten thuds. His voice crackled over the intercom, "Room Clear". We crept into the room, we still had to be careful, cameras were still active and if they were equipped with thermal or NV sights, the mission would be over as soon as it started. It was simple from then on, a few doors to breach, but nothing else. Finally we reached the control room, there was an electric field protecting it so I had to take off all my electronic items off me to get in. The security system was simple to crack, I just needed a bit of time. To save time, I ordered my squad to leave the base and search the Landing Zone for any hostiles. It had taken me 20 minutes to crack the database, but it was finally done all I needed was to finish the download in a specially designed cause that was seemingly EMP-proof. Through the barrier, I could hear my teammates asking for an extraction. I was just about to leave and pick up my armor when the sirens in the base started to scream, I whirled my head around, half-expecting to see armed guards, but instead, a brilliant white light that sent me out of consciousness. _

_I woke up with a start, and noted that all lights were out, and that none of the electrical equipment on my armor was working, with a sick feeling, I realized what had happened. I had been left behind. My armor with still sparking so I ignored it and took off towards the extraction point. There, I saw the bodies of my teammates. Dead. I went to the bodies and took their tags, so they could be recognized. Slowly, I pieced together that the blast was actually the EMP being triggered, and it had killed my teammates. I heard a loud roaring noise and instinctively ducked for cover. It was General Sykria. I was glad to see him and was just about to come out of hiding to greet him when he shouted in anguish "Where is Cryotra? He is alive! He has the data that links me to the creation of these Nuclear EMPS! If I don't see his dead body by the end of today, I'll be seeing yours! Find Him!"I turned around and ran. _

_I only had a short head start but I didn't have weapons. I didn't have armor. I only had my wit, I raced off into the woods, not knowing where I was headed, praying I wouldn't run into anyone. But I did, fortunately for me, his back was facing me. A swift leap towards, a muffled cry and a cracking sound told me that I had broken his neck. I cursed my luck, I had taken out a guard on some sort of break. He only had a knife. Nevertheless, I took it and ran off into the woods. _

I don't remember how many men I killed. I don't remember how much blood was lost. I only remember the death of General Sykria. I learnt that without a gun, a General is nothing. Like a newborn child, weak and defenseless. I remember how he cried at the sight of his own blood, at the sight of his life, spilling into the ground. But 6 months later, here I lay, a weak and dying man. I've enjoyed my life as short as it might have been. I've experienced my share. Love. Hate. Loss. Betrayal. Pain. The whole lot of it. I'd hate to go now, but I can only hold on for so long especially after the injuries I've acquired. I had spent my life in college trying to woo the girl I loved, but she wouldn't heed it. Now she's married. It pains me to know that she will never be with me, but at the same time, it makes me satisfied. All I ever wanted was to see her flashing her gorgeous smile and to be happy. Happiness could never be achieved for her with me. I wasn't good enough for her. The thought of her happiness made the pain dissipate and I smiled for a final time, looked at the card and a final thought echoed in my mind, "Love's a beautiful thing, it last forever, the sad thing is, Life doesn't." I felt my strength slowly dissipate and dissolve away, I felt no pain, only a sense of joy for the one I would always love. I breathed a sigh of relief and allowed myself to join my family but not before whispering "Such a wonderful person…Such a wonderful name…Her name was Roma"


End file.
